India and Australia are all geared up to square off in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final at the Oval, starting June 7.
Team India’s last outing at the same venue was a memorable one two years back as they defeated England by 157 runs. Rohit Sharma starred with the bat in that Test match, slamming 127 in the second innings and Virat Kohli expects the Indian captain to replicate the same feat against Australia in the WTC final.
In an exclusive chat with ICC, Kohli was full of praise for Rohit, who has left a lasting impression in red-ball cricket since becoming an opener in 2019.
“Rohit always had more time than anyone, when I saw Rohit Sharma batting for the very first time, I understood what the hype was all about and why he was rated so highly," Kohli said.
“What Rohit has done in White ball cricket for a long period, everyone knew his talent but the way he performed in Tests in last few years showed his belief that he can do it in Tests at the highest level, he has done really in England conditions," he added.
The WTC final against Australia will be Rohit’s 50th appearance in the longest format of the game. He averages 52.76 with six centuries and four fifties from 36 innings since 2019.
The highlight of his performance was the tour of England in 2021 when he scored 368 runs from four Tests at an average of 52.57 with one century and two fifties.
“The way he performed in Tests in the last few years has shown the testimony of his temperament and opening is a tough job and he did a great job, he has performed well in all formats, enjoy watching him especially from other end and hopefully he can repeat his performance what he did in Oval in last time," Kohli further stated.
